


All I Want for Christmas

by gray_autumn_sky



Series: Set in Storybrooke, Canon Divergent [8]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2018-09-13 08:24:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9114889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky
Summary: A prequel to “All I Want For Christmas”; Roland and Henry listen as Robin and Regina fight–and one of them walks away.





	1. Chapter 1

Henry’s brow creases as he watches Roland cross the cafeteria, walking with his head up and his shoulders back, and with an obvious purpose. A grin pulls onto Henry’s lips at the first grader’s confidence as he gingerly walks through a sea of eighth graders.

“We need to talk,” Roland says, slipping into the open seat across from Henry.

“We do?”

“Yes,” Roland tells him with a decisive nod. “It’s about our parents—my dad and your mom.”

Henry’s brow creases. “What about them?”

“They’re fighting.”

“I know…” Henry sighs. “Everyone knows.”

“I don’t even know why.”

“I… don’t think they do either,” Henry admits.

“But it’s Christmas,” Roland cuts in. “And they’re just being stupid. They both want to be together, but they can’t know that if they don’t sit down and talk about it.” 

“Well,” Henry begins, shaking his head as he sighs. “They’re both stubborn.”

“It’s not right. Families should be together at Christmas.” He takes a breath. “So, I need your help to make sure that happens, to make sure they spend Christmas together.”

“I want them together, too,” Henry says. “But, like I said, they’re stubborn and they need time to work it out.”

Roland rolls his eyes. “They don’t need more time. They need a shove in the right direction.” He nods, “That’s what Granny says, at least. They’re supposed to be together.”

“And what are _you_ going to do about it?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Roland says, folding his hands atop the table. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot.” Henry’s eyes narrow. “I have a plan.”

“What plan?”

“Well,” Roland begins, leaning in and lowering his voice. “I was thinking I could pretend to be sick.”

Henry’s nose scrunches. “I… don’t think that’s going to work.”

“I think it will.” He grins. “It’s going to start with me having a stomach ache, and  I am going to ask my dad for my stuffed monkey… you know, the one your mom gave me, but it won’t be at our room at Granny’s. It’ll be at your house.”

“But your monkey isn’t at my house.”

Henry watches as Roland’s grin pulls tighter as he reaches behind himself and pulls the monkey from his backpack. “It will be when you take it home.”

Henry laughs, shaking his head as Roland hand him the stuffed animal, and he can’t help but smile. “So,” he says, looking up and taking a short breath. Roland’s eyes look so hopeful and he looks so convinced that his plan will work—and Henry can’t help but want it to work, too—so that things could go back to the way they were, the way they were supposed to be.  “What can I do to help?”

_____

Henry looks up from a recipe card as the phone rings, and Regina’s brow furrows. She looks to him and he shrugs as she tosses down the dishcloth. He watches carefully as her expression changes—and he knows it’s because Robin is on the other end of the line. 

She says over and over again that she hasn’t seen Roland stuffed monkey and as she moves toward the counter, Henry shakes his head, a silent gesture to say that he hasn’t seen it either—and even from where he’s sitting, he can hear Roland in the background saying again and again in a weepy voice that he knows the stuffed monkey’s in his room at Regina’s, and when he glances to his mother, he can see that Roland’s cries are having an effect on her.

Her eyes sink closed and she sighs. “We could… take a look, I suppose.” She nods, “I’ll… call you if we find it.”

She hangs up and Henry watches as she lingers by the phone, taking a few deep breaths before turning to him with a tight smile. “So, instead of frosting cookies, we’re searching for a monkey?”

“Roland’s monkey?”

“Yes,” she says, shaking her as she moves toward the oven, turning off the heat. “I can’t imagine that it’s here. He never goes anywhere without it. He hasn’t left it since…”

“Since you gave it to him?”

Regina turns back to him and nods. “Yes,” she says as her smile fades. “He thinks it’s in his room, so… I’ll start there.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Henry says, nodding as he slides off of the stool at the counter. “I, um, I’ll check some other places. Maybe it got shoved under something or… something.”

“That’s a good idea,” Regina murmurs, obviously distracted as she goes toward the stairs.

A smile pulls onto Henry’s lips and he grabs one of the still-warm sugar cookies, biting into as he watches her go—and then he jogs up the stairs to his own room to pretend to help search for the missing monkey.

He waits for a few minutes, peeking out into the hallway and watching as Regina opens dresser drawers and looks underneath the bed. She opens the closet and he watches the pained look that settles behind her eyes as she stairs into the empty closet, sighing as she slowly closes the door.

“Mom? Mom, I found it!” Henry calls, pulling the monkey out from its hiding place beneath his bed. “I found it!”

“You did?” Regina says, gasping a little as he hold up the stuffed animal—and he watches as she takes it from him, petting the soft fur. “Roland will be so relieved.”

“Yeah, I bet,” he replies, his breath hitching in his throat as his mother’s eyes sink closed and she holds the monkey close to her chest, cradling him as if she were holding something other than a toy. “You should… probably call Robin.”

She nods as her eyes open and a tight smile stretches across her lips. “I’m sure that he’ll be relieved.” She pauses, looking up at him as she strokes monkey’s fur. “I… think we’re going to have to take it to him. Roland’s been sick and he… probably shouldn’t go out.”

“Especially if he doesn’t have to.”

“Right…” Regina nods, taking a breath. “So, I’ll go and call… and let them know that we’re on our way over.”

Henry nods, watching her go and he takes a deep breath—the first part of the plan was falling into place, and he could only hope the rest of it would come just as easily.

_____

Henry watches as Regina’s shoulders rise and fall as she takes a deep breath, then rasps the back of her hand over the door—and before she can do it again, the door opens and Robin in standing before them. He smiles somewhat awkwardly and invites them in, thanking them again and again for finding the stuffed animal, and wondering again and again how it got to be beneath Henry’s bed.

“It… doesn’t matter,” Regina says as that tight uncomfortable smile stretches onto her lips. “What matters is that we found it and… he has it again.”

“Right,” Robin nods as Regina extends the stuffed animal to Robin—and Henry watches as their hands touch. Regina holds onto it for too long and Robin doesn’t pull away, and he feels a flicker of hope that Roland’s plan might actually—amazingly—work.

“My monkey!” Roland exclaims as he comes into the room. “You found him.”

“Yes,” Regina nods—and her hand falls away from Robin’s.

“I miss you,” Roland says in a soft voice, pouting out his bottom lip and sniffling for good measure. “I miss you a lot.”

“Oh, sweetie,” she murmurs as she stoops down to his level. “I miss you, too.”

Roland steps toward her, wrapping his arms around her neck as he hugs her tightly—and gives Henry a quick wink. “Will you stay with me for a little bit?” He pulls back, batting his long eyelashes at her. “Just for a little bit?”

Regina lets out a shaky breath and she nods, “Okay,” she says. “Just one story.”

Lifting him up, Regina stands and his legs wrap around her. Roland’s head falls to her shoulder and he smiles a smile that only Henry can see, and then, he turns his gaze toward Robin. “Daddy, can you tell me a story, too?” He sniffles as he looks to Robin. “It was always fun when you guys did the voices together.”

Henry swallows hard, looking between Robin and his mother as Robin glances from his son to Regina and back again. He hesitates and Roland lets out a little whimper—and almost immediately, Robin’s resolve wares. “Sure. Just one story, though,” he says with a sigh. “I’m sure Henry and Regina have plans. It’s Christmas Eve after all.”

“We don’t actually,” Henry’s quick to say. “Take your time.”

Regina’s eyes widen and Robin nods, shifting awkwardly as he looks between them—and then, a moment later, the three of them disappear into Roland’s room.

Henry cranes his neck, sitting in an arm chair that gives him a little glimpse the room—and he watches as Roland cuddles up in Regina’s lap. She snuggles him closer as Robin sits down on a chair beside the bed, and he can’t help but notice the soft grin that stretches onto Robin’s lips—a grin that Regain doesn’t see—as she combs her fingers through Roland’s hair and presses a kiss to his forehead.

They read the one promised story—and then another and another. Henry smiles when he hears Regina laugh, and for a little while, the plan seems to be working. And when Roland stops asking—likely because he’s inadvertently fallen asleep, Robin and Regina’s voice continue, softly and quietly so that he can’t actually hear what they’re saying.

“I… should be going,” he hears her say, her voice suddenly louder.

“Right,” Robin agrees somewhat reluctantly. “I… appreciate you coming. You didn’t have to.”

“It was nice see him. I hope he’s better in the morning. It’d be a shame if he were sick on Christmas Day.”

“It would be…”

Henry takes a breath as he hears their footsteps nearing—and taking a deep breath, he presses his eyes close, pretending to be asleep. He feels Regina kneeling beside him, pushing at his arm and shaking him gently and it takes all of his willpower not to give himself away—and when Robin suggests that he could carry him out to the car, he does his best to burrow down in the arm chair become as unmovable as he can.

“He’s… dead asleep,” Robin says, offering an awkward chuckle.

“Yeah,” Regina breathes out. “He’s always been a hard sleeper. You could run a train through my house, and he wouldn’t even flinch.”

Robin laughs as he rises to his feet—and for a second, an awkward silence falls between them. “He could… stay the night and you could pick him up in the morning,” Robin suggest in a voice that almost wills her not to accept the offer. “Or…”

“I’m not leaving my son on Christmas Eve.”

“Right,” Robin breathes out. “Well, since you’re here… I could… make some tea.”

“That… sounds nice,” Regina says.

Henry’s eyes open and a grin pulls onto his lips as he watches Regina follow Robin into the kitchen—and a moment later, he hears the Robin filling a kettle and Regina pulling out a chair.

_____

Henry’s eyes flutter open as a small hand pushes at his shoulder, and the first thing he sees is Roland’s dimples sinking into his cheeks as a smile pulls onto his lips. “Look,” he whispers loudly as Henry pulls himself up. “Look!”

Blinking a few times, Henry looks around them room and a smile immediately tugs onto his lips. Robin and Regina are on the couch across from him. Robin’s feet are on the coffee table and Regina’s feet are tucked beneath her—and Robin’s arm is curled around her shoulders. Two tea cups sit on the coffee table with the kettle between them, giving the appearance that they spent the night talking—something they desperately needed to do.

“You can’t get too excited,” Henry murmurs, as his smile fades. “Just because they look like they’re back together, doesn’t mean that they are.”

“But look at them!” Roland says, his eyes pleading as if the more he insists the truer it will be. “They’re cuddling.” He looks back to Henry and sighs. “Just like they used to.”

“I know…”

“We should wake them and see!”

“No,” Henry’s quick to say. “Not… yet.” He takes a breath. “I think we should let them sleep.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Henry murmurs, not quite sure how to explain it, not quite sure how to tell a six year old that it’s unlikely their plan worked and wanting to think that it did for just a little bit longer. “They… just look happy like that.”

Roland’s brow creases and he nods, and Henry can tell that he doesn’t understand. But nonetheless, he turns to face Henry and takes a breath. “Are you hungry?”

“Kind of…”

“We have cereal.” Roland shrugs. “We have other stuff, too, but that’s all I know how to make.”

Henry laughs, “I could always make us something.”

“Really?” Roland asks, bouncing up. “Like a real breakfast?”

“Yeah, my mom taught me how to cook.”

“Can you make her French toast?”

“Do you have eggs?”

“I think so!” Roland exclaims, bounding toward the kitchen. Henry laughs as he pulls himself up, smiling back at Robin and Regina, hoping that for once, things were as they seemed.

They prepare breakfast as quietly as two boys can, and Roland giggles as he sets the table. Henry places a stack of French toast between them and pours two glasses of orange juice before they sit down to eat. Henry reaches for a third peace, his eyes shifting upward as he sees Regina stretching—and beneath the table, he nudges Roland. Roland turns his head and they both watch as their parents come into the kitchen—smiles pulling onto their lips as they take in the scene before them.

“Did you save any for us?” Robin asks, chuckling softly as he steps into the kitchen.

“Is that my French toast.”

“Yeah,” Henry murmurs, glancing down at Roland, who only shrugs his shoulders. “And… there’s more than enough for everyone.”

“Excellent,” Robin says, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out two more plates—and then, as he hands one of the plates to Regina, he kisses her cheek. “Because I am famished.”

Roland lets out a little gasp as both Robin and Regina sit down at the table, side by side, and it escapes no one’s notice the glances they exchange, but neither Roland nor Henry says anything about, instead they enjoy a breakfast together and enjoy being a family once again.


	2. It Can't Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prequel to “All I Want For Christmas”; Roland and Henry listen as Robin and Regina fight–and one of them walks away.

Letting out a shaky breath, Roland looked over the banister. Catching his lip between his teeth, he chewed nervously and craned his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of his parents in hopes that if he saw them, he’d see that their fight wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Usually when they fought, it was over quickly; and usually, when they fought, they tried to pretend like they weren’t. But this time was different and his stomach was in knots.

Flinching as he heard something slam and Regina’s voice rose over Robin’s, he turned away from the banister and reached for Henry’s door knob. He’d barely poked his head in when Henry pulled back the covers, patting the empty space beside him on his bed. Roland padded quickly toward him and climbed into the bed, cuddling into his brother’s side as he pressed his eyes closed.

“This one is really bad,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” Henry agreed. “It is.”

After that, neither said anything—they just laid together in the darkness of Henry’s room, holding the their breath and hoping that it’d be over soon, and then everything could go back to normal.

But the fight continued.

From what they could piece together, this had been an on-going topic of debate—something Robin and Regina had been able to hide rather well up until that night. Regina insisted that as mayor she had to make hard decisions—unpopular ones, ones she herself didn’t always want to make—and appeared that she’d finally, she’d done something that Robin was adamantly opposed to.

As they listened, they discovered Stroybrooke’s food bank was closing—something neither boy even knew existed. But it was more than obvious that Robin knew of its existence, and more than that, the food bank seemed to be something that was very near and dear to him. The outrage in his voice seemed to surprise her as she tried again and again to explain her decision—explaining that it wasn’t a personal matter, but had everything to do with tax revenue and a lack of available funds. But no matter what Regina said or how valid her explanation seemed, Robin wasn’t calming down.

And the angrier he got, the angrier she got; and the more irrational both became.

“I just don’t understand how you could be so callous,” he scoffed, his voice piquing with distain. “I can even stand to look at you right now.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t.”

Roland held his breath as a loud silence fell between them.

“Yeah,” Robin said. “You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

And then the front door slammed.

Both boys sat up in the bed and looked to each other. Roland’s lip quivered as Henry hugged him closer, telling him over and over again that it would be alright, but his voice had been anything but confident as they heard Regina’s fist slam against the door.

It couldn’t be over, he found himself thinking and warm tears brimmed in his eyes. I couldn’t be over, not when it had barely just begun.


End file.
